Adjustable bottom for burial-caskets.



T. A. LYNCEL, ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM FOR BURIAL GASKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, 1910.

Patented July 26, 1910.

2 BHEETS-S1IEET 1.

WITNESSES: 52? (1 5W ATTORNEYS THE "ohms PETERS col, WASHINGTON, D. c.

T.A.LYNGH. ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM FOR BURIAL GASKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN, 20, 1910.

965,641 wanted July 26, 1910.

2 EHEET-Fr-SKEBT 2. Z1523 A TTOR/VE Y 8 1n: NORRIS PETERS co., WJSHINGTOPK'D. c.

' 'ACILEN FFTCE.

ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM FOR BURIAL-CASKETS To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. LYNCH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Adjustable Bottom for Burial-Caskets, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

My invention relates to burial caskets, coffins and the like, which, for convenience, I will hereinafter designate merely as caskets.

The purpose of my invention is to provide the casket with an adjustable bottom, so arranged that it may be manipulated at will for the purpose of supporting a corpse in various positions.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a casket containing a corpse, the head of the corpse being somewhat elevated by aid of my invention; Fig. 2 is a substantially central vertical section through the casket showing the parts arranged for receiving the corpse in order that the latter may have the appearance indicated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail showing, partly in section and partly in elevation, the adjustable false bottom of the casket and parts associated therewith; this view further showing means for elevating and supporting the adjustable bottom; Fig. 4 is a detail, somewhat similar to Fig. 3, but showing the false bottom as occupying its lowermost position-that is, the position which it occupies when the burial takes place; and Fig. 5 is a detail showing, partly in plan and partly in section, the mechanism appearing in Fig. 4.

At 6 is shown the casket which, in this in stance, is supported in the conventional manner upon pedestals 7, and is provided with handles 8. The bottom of the casket is shown at 9, and a board 10 is connected with.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 20, 1910.

Patented July 26, 1910. Serial No. 538,999.

aid of dowel pins 17, which are removably inserted within the holes 15, the board 10 may be adjusted at different angles, as may be understood from Figs. 3 and 4. Extend ing through the board 10 is a pin 18 and rotatably mounted upon the same is a nut 19. A sliding plate 20 is provided with a slot 21 through which the pin 18 also extends.

At 22 is a post which is connected rigidly with the sliding plate 20 by aid of a brace 23. By turning the nut 19 the sliding plate 20 is loosened relatively to the board 10 and may be moved endwise and adjusted, the nut 19 being then tighten-ed so as to hold the sliding plate 20 and post 22 rigidly in position relatively to the board 10. Mounted within the bottom of the casket are bearings 24, 25 threaded internally so as to fit a screw 26. This screw forms properly no part of the casket and is removable from the same. It is provided with a handle 27.

Mounted upon the under side of the board 12 is a block 28 for the purpose of normally supporting the board 12 in the position in dicated in Fig. 4. The screw 26 may be inserted through the threaded bearing 24 and the upper end of the screw brought into engagement with the block 28 so that by turning the screw the board 12 is raised. At 30 is the face plate of the casket. Mounted upon the board 12 and adjacent to one end thereof is a head rest 29.

The operation of my device is as follows: A corpse is placed in the casket, the crotch of the corpse being brought against the post 22. The head of the corpse rests upon the head rest 29. The position of the post 22 is adjusted by moving the sliding plate 20 and securing it rigidly by aid of the bolt 18 and nut 19, as above described. The purpose of the post 22 is to prevent the accidental displacement of the corpse in handling the casket as, for instance, in carrying the same down a steep flight of stairs, as is sometimes necessary. The corpse being placed in position, the screw 26 is inserted through the bearings 24, 25, and the boards 12, 10 raised accordingly. If it be desired to merely elevate the head and shoulders of the corpse a little distance, as indicated in Fig. l, the screw 26 is inserted through the bearing 24 alone and turned to a proper extent to give the board 12 the desired inclination. For this purpose the dowel pins 17 need not be moved and the screw need not be inserted through the bearing 25.

Suppose, however, that for purposes of having the corpse lie in state, or on exhibition for inspection by a considerable throng of people, the boards 10, 12 should be arranged as indicated in Fig. 3. For this purpose the screw is inserted through the bearing 25 and the board 10 tilted, as indicated, the dowel pins 17 meanwhile being removed from the bottom holes 15 and replaced in other holes higher up. The screw is now removed and maybe inserted through the bearing 24, so as to give the board 12 the proper inclination. The boards 10, 12 may, by aid of the screw 26, and the dowel pins 17, be placed in a considerable number of different relative positions according to the position which it is desired to give to the corpse. In the particular instance here illustrated, I show enough holes 15 to give the board 10 as many different positions, and, of course, the board 12 may, by aid of the screw 26, be given any number of positions. Finally when the corpse is ready for burial, the screw 26 is inserted through the bearing 25, the board 10 elevated slightly by aid of the screw, the dowel pins 17 removed, and then, by turning the screw backward the board 10 is lowered until it rests upon the bottom 9 and the board 12 is lowered by simply removing the screw 26. The boards 10, 12, being in their respective lowermost positions now have the appearance indicated in Fig. 4. For this purpose two screws 26 are necessary, but under ordinary circumstances one such screw will suffice.

From. the foregoing description it will be seen that the boards 10, 12 may, owing to the office they perform, be considered as a false flexible bottom for the casket.

I do not limit myself to any particular forms or shapes for the various parts shown except as limitations may appear in my claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters I Patent:

1. A device of the character described,

comprising a casket, a board mounted therein and adjustable for purposes of supporting a corpse in different positions, a post mounted upon said board and slidable relatively to the same in the general direction of the length of said casket, means controllable at will for locking said post in different positions relative to said board, and mechanism including a set screw controllable at will for supporting said board at different elevations.

2. A device of the character described, comprisin a casket, a board mounted therein and ad]ustable to different angles for the purpose of displaying a corpse, a sliding plate mounted upon said board, a post mounted rigidly upon said sliding plate, and means including a set screw controllable at will for adjusting the position of said plate relatively to said board in a direction parallel with the general length of the casket.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a casket, a plate mounted therein and provided with holes, a false bottom mounted within said casket, eyes mounted upon said board and disposed in close proximity to said plate, and means includin pins controllable at will for securing said eyes at difierent points upon said plate in order to support said board at different angles relatively to the bottom of said casket.

1. The combination of a casket, a false bottom therefor, means including a screw controllable at will for temporarily forcing a portion of said false bottom upward, and fastenings controllable at will for temporarily holding said false bottom in elevated position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. LYNCH.

Witnesses lVALToN HARRISON, JOHN P. DAVIS. 

